The composer of the song that has become synonymous with NHL hockey in Canada says she is "overjoyed" the tune has found a new home on CTV.
Dolores Claman's iconic song, known as "The Hockey Theme" has been associated with CBC's Hockey Night in Canada for 40 years, but the network announced last week it could not reach a deal with the song's copyright holders
Following a deal that was struck Monday by CTV, the song will now be heard in NHL broadcasts on TSN and RDS. CTV will also air the song as part of its hockey coverage during the 2010 Olympic winter games.
"I'm absolutely overjoyed," Claman, 80, told CTV's Canada AM from London, England on Tuesday morning.
"It's very hard to explain how good I feel about the whole thing. Bloody but unbowed, here we are. It's got a new home, it's going to be in safe hands and I couldn't be more delighted."
Claman wrote the song in 1968 in Vancouver. Since then, it has become affectionately known as Canada's second national anthem.
She said negotiations with the CBC to extend the network's use of the song were "tough" and she was worried the song would disappear into "oblivion" if an agreement wasn't reached.
However, Claman said CTV displayed respect for her family and for the song during negotiations, and she became confident "The Hockey Theme" was going to good hands.
As the story emerged about CBC's failure to extend its agreement, Claman said she realized it had become an intrinsic part of the Canadian hockey experience.
"I think sometimes things get out of hand and they take on a life of their own that nobody ever planned and I think that's what happened," she said.
"I read all these blogs and websites and all the commentaries and all the people that were really trying to support the music and I think it's really their song, really and it's part of their life and that's why I'm glad it's going to be continued and I'm glad about the home it's got."
Rick Brace, President, Revenue, Business Planning and Sports, CTV Inc. said the network jumped at the opportunity to be associated with the tune.
"The song has a long and storied history in Canadian sports and has become ingrained in the hearts and minds of hockey fans across the country," said Brace.
"It is an iconic tune, embraced by Canadians everywhere, and we felt it was imperative to save it," he said in a news release. "It's an honour and a privilege to own such a cherished piece of Canadiana."
The announcement comes on the heels of another TSN deal that ensures the network packs a hockey punch for seasons to come.
TSN recently inked a six-year multi-platform NHL deal that will see more coverage of Canadian teams than ever before, with at least one Canadian team in every game.
Song will be re-engineered
Brace said the network's hockey shows will have a new opening that will incorporate a new version of the theme song.
Though there will be a new version of the song, the tune will be instantly recognizeable to fans.
"We will have to re-orchestrate it," he told CTV's Newsnet. "It will still be the same music but it will be a different arrangement. It will be exactly the same tune."
Brace said that although the song is closely associated with the CBC, hockey fans associate the tune more with their favourite sport. He said TSN and RDS both have strong brands when it comes to hockey and will have no problem making the song their own.
The executive refused to say how much the network paid for the song but he called the deal a "fair" one that is of great value to CTV.
"We're in hockey for the long haul," he said. "The value will span across our lifetime and the lifetime of generations to come."
CTV first inquired about the deal last week when news reports suggested CBC and the copyright holders were at odds over a new contract.
Brace said the network made their move when CBC released a press release on Friday announcing it had not secured the deal and was instead launching a contest to search for a new theme song.
"It's wonderful to have been able to save it," Brace said. "It was headed to obscurity. It was going to fade away and we're glad we were able to make a deal, buy the rights in perpetuity for all platforms. You're going to hear a lot of it."
